Gardens, Greenhouses & Gifts
June 6 – 8, 2012 (Wednesday – Friday)
Calling all gardeners to the second annual JH Travel garden tour!
An early morning departure traveling east finds our first stop at Wallace’s Garden Center in Bettendorf, Iowa for our morning break, program on fairy gardening and a tour of their growing greenhouse and free time. This is a family business that welcomes our group with a spacious classroom and has everything from lamps to handbags in the gift shop! The next stop on the itinerary is very unique and is rated the highest quality Japanese garden in North America which is Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL. We will enjoy a catered lunch overlooking the beautiful gardens before taking a guided tour displaying the many plants & beautiful waterfalls. Next is the Village Green in Rockford which is well known as the largest outdoor furniture showroom in the Midwest as well as carrying your favorite annuals & perennials. We travel onto Milton, WI to the Land of the Giants Hosta Farm which has over 220,000 hostas planted and over 2,100 different varieties including rare and unique plants. A cook-out is planned at the farm before departing to K & W Greenery where our hands on project will lead us to thinking miniature & fairy! Use your imagination to create a small garden using dwarf plants and small life-life furniture. These dish gardens can be placed outside on your patio furniture during summer time and brought in for the cold season!
Our second day begins with a stroll through Olbrich Botanical Gardens which has 16 acres of landscaped gardens and an array of Midwest hardy plants. Schonheit Gardens is next on our itinerary which is a family owned business that features gardens & nursery plants. Heidi will give us a short presentation and then time to roam the greenhouses! This was a favorite stop on our 2011 garden trip! Lunch by Subway will be eaten on the way to Country Gardens in Oconomowoc, WI. She has 3 acres of gardens and sells perennials and pottery and will present a program upon arrival. Get your walking shoes ready for our next stop as Monches Farm has it all! Perennials, antiques, dried flowers & gifts and they are known for their unusual container plantings. Prior to shopping we will learn the history & layout of the farm along with sharing some of the favorite annuals for containers. The Flower Source in Germantown, WI is next on our garden trip meeting owner Kostas who will give us a tour of his business. We then travel to New Berlin, WI to our overnight accommodation at LaQuinta Inn & Suites for check-in before our pizza arrives!
Our third day begins at Shady Acres Perennial Nursery in New Berlin, WI which has been in business over 50 years. Perennials are their specialty with over 1,200 varieties along with herbs, specialty annuals and hardy vines. Northwind Perennial Farm is next at Burlington, WI which our timing of the trip has hit their Garden & Antique Sale which is an annual open house which includes garden art, antique vendors, food vendors and plant sales. Lunch is on your own as you stroll along at Northwind viewing the many vendors and sales before boarding our Hawkeye Stages motor coach for the trip back to Newton with great memories of “Gardens, Greenhouses and Gifts”!
Tour includes: motor coach transportation, overnight accommodations at Hampton Inn & La Quinta Inn & Suites offered with 2 double beds per room, 6 meals included (2 deluxe continental breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 evening meals with morning snack on day 1), a truck & trailer to keep your purchases cool (this depends on the number of garden travelers), all taxes & gratuities on the above mentioned attractions on this trip.
Deposit is required at the time of signup. The final balance is due May 1, 2012.
This trip is limited to 30 gardeners!! Don’t wait too long!!! **trip subject to change